Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians to reach the IPL 2025 Final.
Records are meant to be broken. The might of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), led by Shreyas Iyer, has brought this statement to life in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions failed to defend a total in excess of 200 for the first time in the tournament’s history. As a result, Hardik Pandya & Co. were kicked out of the league in the penultimate clash, while PBKS will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 Final.
After winning just one game out of the first five matches, MI were on a winning spree. They managed to bag 12 points off the next six games, announcing a glorious turnaround. A handsome victory over the Delhi Capitals at home handed them a qualification berth. But MI were denied entry into the top two, citing a loss in their last group stage game against the Qualifier 2 opponents in Jaipur.
The Mumbai Indians have some serious gaps to fill post their exit from IPL 2025. There have been individual performances that have paved the way this season, but those could only take the team so far. Here are the three top gaps that led to their exit this year.
Knowing when to bowl Jasprit Bumrah is a no-brainer. You see the game slipping away, throw the ball to Bumrah. Need a wicket? Bumrah it is. In Hardik’s words, having a bowler of that pedigree “is a luxury.”
But the Men in Blue did not have any back-up for the Gujarat bowler’s off-day, which eventually haunted MI against the Kings. The 31-year-old went wicketless while leaking 40 runs in his quota of four overs. Moreover, Josh Inglis smacked Bumrah for 20 runs in the fifth over of the innings. It was one of the turning points in the game last night as it gave a strong start to the now-finalists and boosted their morale in the powerplay.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, the management may invest in a bowler who can stem the flow of runs outside the powerplay.
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The MI skipper’s decision-making during the chase last night has been the talk of the town since. Despite picking a wicket and almost sending Nehal Wadhera back, he didn’t trust his abilities to bowl his quota of four overs, as rightly noted by the former Australian player.
“Hardik should have had a two-fer. That second over you would expect Trent Boult to catch that 99 times out of 100. He should have bowled because he was executing what was required on that surface and there was an opportunity that was missed. He should have come back and grabbed the bull by the horn,” Tom Moody said.
Then, giving the ball to Reece Topley over Ashwani Kumar in the 13th over shifted the momentum as Iyer tonked the Englishman for three consecutive sixes.
Mumbai Indians haven’t invested in a quality right-arm off-spinner since Harbhajan Singh. And time and again, this hasn’t worked in their favour. The scouting team will be on the lookout for a good right-arm off-spinner to support the likes of Mitchell Santner. To add to their woes, Hardik’s trust in the Kiwi bowler is also a questionable topic. New Zealand’s white-ball captain went for just 15 off his two overs and wasn’t brought on again.
“Santner is a very crafty bowler, international pedigree. He has been there and done that many times, so had to back him,” Moody added.
Though MI had a better run this season compared to last year’s wooden spoon, they have a few holes to fill. They last won their trophy in IPL 2020 under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. We can expect MI to come back strong next season.
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